Background: Although several studies had investigated the possibility of being effective in treating osteoarthritis, the use of PRP as a line of treatment in such cases is not yet approved.
Aim of the Work: To assess the potential clinical and radiological benefits of intra-articular PRP injection in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Patients and Method: The study included 45 knee osteoarthritis patients following-up at the rheumatology clinic, Ain Shams University hospitals. Demographic, clinical data including the visual analogue scale (VAS), and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) knee joint were analyzed. Intraarticular knee injection of PRP for 6 consecutive months was done. Patients were reassessed clinically and radiologically after 6 months from the last injection.
Results: There was 39 (86.7 %) females, 6 (13.3 %) males. There was a statistically significant reduction in VAS & WOMAC scores after PRP injection (P <0.001). MRI showed statistically significant decrease in the subchondral bone marrow lesions (P 0.004) and statistically significant increase in the patellar cartilage volume (P 0.02), non-significant decrease in inter-condylar synovitis (P 0.51). The patient's age and disease duration were significantly negatively correlated only with the VAS improvement percent (P 0.04, 0.03 respectively), BMI didn't show any significance with both scores. There was no major side effects of PRP injection like infection or bleeding. Minimal pain at site of injection reported by some patients.
Conclusions: The use of Intraarticular PRP injection improves the clinical and radiological outcomes of knee osteoarthritis without major adverse effects